Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes was released in January this year to mixed reception. While the game had unique concepts, a quirky story and fun boss battles, the repetitive combat and at times questionable design choices meant it wasn’t a standout title for the Nintendo Switch. Regardless, the game has received two DLC packs; Black Dandelion and Bubblegum Fatale, which will appeal to fans.

Black Dandelion was released on 28 February and is the more basic of the two DLC packs. It adds Shinobu Jacobs as a playable character, who fans will remember from previous No More Heroes games. Shinobu wields a katana and looks quite sexy battling enemies, though apart from having two unique Skill Chip abilities she plays exactly the same as Travis and Badman. Black Dandelion also features the text adventure mode Badman Strikes Back which reveals the dark backstory of the titular Badman and how he learnt of his daughter’s death at the hands of Travis in the first game.

Bubblegum Fatale was released on 18 April and offers a bit more content over the first DLC pack. There’s a new Death Drive game called Killer Marathon which sees players race against the clock to get to the next checkpoint. Between checkpoints you will need to defeat waves of enemies, navigate obstacle courses filled with hazards and at one point ensure you don’t run out of oxygen. Killer Marathon is arguably the most challenging level in the game, acting as a grand finale by forcing players to use their skills to the fullest. Experienced players should be able to complete the level within one to two hours on their first playthrough.

After completing Killer Marathon you will unlock Bad Girl as a playable character. Like her father, Badman, she wields a baseball bat and has a bit of attitude. Bad Girl has two unique Skill Chip abilities but, like Shinobu, ultimately plays the same as the other characters. At the very least there’s now some gender equality in the game’s playable roster.

Bubblegum Fatale also features a new chapter for the Travis Strikes Back text adventure mode. The relatively short chapter features Shinobu and Travis teaming up to fight enemies at the former’s dojo. It does seem a little odd the text adventures in both DLC packs were not switched around, particularly because Badman’s story is associated with Bad Girl and has nothing to do with Shinobu.

Players who purchased a physical copy of Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes will already have the Season Pass for the DLC content. If you purchased the game digitally then double check which version you purchased as the game was available as both a standalone title and with the Season Pass. You will need to have completed the main game before being able to play the DLC.

If you loved the standalone game then it’s definitely worth picking up the Season Pass DLC. The new Killer Marathon level is challenging and is a grand finale to the adventure as a whole. While it’s nice to see Bad Girl and Shinobu bring some gender equality to the game be mindful you will have to level up these characters from scratch and there is little difference in how they control compared to Travis and Badman. If you did grow bored towards the end of Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes then be warned the DLC is more of the same.

Joseph Rositano

While Joseph's main hobby has always centered around video games, he's also taken an interest in movies, musicals and traveling around the world. No one quite knows what Joseph's true motivations are, but rest assured he is always planning his next grand adventure!